Sir Michael Gambon of Harry Potter Dies at 82 – Michael Gambon, the actor who played Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies, has passed away at the age of 82.
Sir Michael Gambon has passed away peacefully in hospital at the age of 82 after a short illness, his family said today.
The actor was best known for his portrayal of Professor Albus Dumbledore, appearing in six out of eight Harry Potter movies and one more, Fantastic Mr Fox, according to a statement released by his publicist, Clair Dobbs, on behalf of Lady Gambon and his son Fergus.
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Sir Michael Gambon has passed away peacefully in hospital, surrounded by his wife Anne, son Fergus, and family. He was 82 years old.
The family has asked for privacy at this difficult time, and they extend their sincerest condolences.
Personal Life
Gambon married mathematician Anne Miller in 1962 when he was 22 years old. Known for being protective of his privacy, he once responded to an interviewer’s question about his wife by asking, “What wife?”. The couple lived in Gravesend, Kent. They had one son, Fergus, who later became a ceramics expert on the BBC series Antiques Roadshow.
Gambon brought Philippa Hart, a woman 25 years his junior, to the set while filming the 2001 film Gosford Park and introduced her to his co-stars as his girlfriend. When their affair was publicly revealed in 2002, he moved out of the home he shared with his wife. He was with Hart from 2000, when they worked together on Channel 4 series Longitude. In February 2007, it was revealed that Hart was pregnant with Gambon’s child and gave birth to a son. Hart gave birth to Gambon’s third child in 2009.
In the New Year Honours 1998, Gambon was appointed a Knight Bachelor for services to drama. On 17 July 1998, he was invested by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Gambon was a qualified private pilot. His love of cars led to his appearance on the BBC series Top Gear. He raced the Suzuki Liana so aggressively that it went around the last corner of his lap on two wheels. The final corner of the Top Gear test track has been named “Gambon Corner” or simply “Gambon” in his honour. He appeared on the programme again on 4 June 2006 and set a time in the Chevrolet Lacetti of 1:50.3, a significant improvement on his previous time of 1:55. He clipped his namesake corner the second time, and when asked why by Jeremy Clarkson, replied, “I don’t know, I just don’t like it.”
